


Better Than McDonalds

by 27dragons



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Past Abuse, correcting dickish behavior, friends helping friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:36:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29113899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/27dragons/pseuds/27dragons
Summary: For this prompt from the Winteriron Winter Stockings event:Bucky comes out from an abusive relationship. Tony is different, very different. But then, he also forgets dates, makes rash decisions and talks over Bucky. That's okay. Tony, when he finds out, doesn't think so and tries to change it. It's slow going. But he will do everything to get Bucky to smile that smile more often!
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Comments: 29
Kudos: 297
Collections: Tony Stark Bingo Mark IV, Winteriron Winter Stockings 2020





	Better Than McDonalds

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [Ruquas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruquas/pseuds/Ruquas) in the [winteriron_winter_stockings_2020](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/winteriron_winter_stockings_2020) collection. 



> This fic also fills a Tony Stark Bingo square for me; see the end note for the full header!

“Happy birthday, Buck!”

Bucky smiled as Steve dropped onto the sofa next to him in the student union and tossed a somewhat haphazardly-wrapped package in his lap. “Thanks.” He unwrapped the package to reveal a t-shirt that said _I'm just here to establish an alibi_. He laughed. “It’s perfect, punk. I’ll wear it to Thor’s cookout thing this weekend.”

March was a little early in the year for a cookout, but Thor, who was an international student from Norway, had scoffed and proclaimed the weather perfect.

Steve dug into his backpack for a textbook. “What’s Tony doing?”

Bucky blinked. “For the cookout?”

Steve shoved him. “For your birthday, dumbass.”

“Oh. We didn’t discuss it. I’m not sure he remembers, to be honest.”

“How can your boyfriend not remember when your birthday is?”

“You know Tony,” Bucky said fondly. “I’m not sure he remembers his _own_ birthday.”

“Yeah, but--”

“It’s fine, Stevie. Don’t worry about it.” It was more than fine, really. Bucky _wasn’t_ going to spend his birthday hoping that Alex was too busy to notice him, and that was a gift in and of itself. He’d head over to Tony’s apartment after classes and they’d sit on the couch and tangle their legs together while they did homework, and afterward they might watch a movie together, and Tony would actually ask if Bucky had an opinion on what they watched, and when they went to bed, Tony would make sure Bucky enjoyed the sex -- and wouldn’t even get mad if Bucky wasn’t in the mood.

That was all the present Bucky needed. A year ago, it was more than he’d ever thought to have.

* * *

Jan flung herself between Tony and Bucky at the counter where they were loading their hamburgers with condiments, flinging her arms around their necks. “Spring break is in two weeks!” she announced, as if this might be news.

“Finally looked at a calendar, Wasp?” Tony teased.

Jan elbowed him. “What are you two doing? Going anywhere fun?”

“Nah,” Bucky said, reaching for the pickles. “Tony’s got this big project--”

“That thing I was telling you about,” Tony put in. “The robotics with limited AI?”

Bucky nodded agreement. “It’s due right after break--”

“Can you _believe_ it?” Tony complained.

“--so we’re just going to stay here. But it’ll be nice not to have to go to classes anyway, right?”

“That does sound nice,” Jan agreed. She looked around. “Where is my-- Oh, there it is. Bucky, would you be an absolute darling and go grab my drink from the table? The one with the yellow swizzle stick?” She pointed. “I wouldn’t ask except that I _left_ because they were having the most _stupid_ argument possible and I _refuse_ to get drawn in again!”

Bucky grinned. “Sure, no problem.”

The instant he stepped away, Jan whirled on Tony. “Anthony Edward Stark, you are being an _asshole_ and he does not deserve that!”

Tony blinked at her. “I can’t control when my project is due!”

Jan’s eyes narrowed dangerously, and Tony was forcibly reminded that her nickname of Wasp was well-earned. “I’m not talking about spring break,” she hissed. “I’m talking about the way you keep talking right over top of him!”

“What? No, I don’t.”

“Yes, you absolutely do,” she said, fierce. “You’ve been doing it for months, and you need to _stop it_.”

Tony’s mouth was already open to protest again, but he paused, trying to think about it. He... He did, didn’t he? It hadn’t started that way.

Bucky had been so hesitant to speak for himself when they’d started out -- yet another legacy of his relationship with Alex that made Tony fervently want to punch Alex in the teeth -- that he’d barely been able to manage a few words before stammering to a halt, and Tony had just... filled in the blanks.

But Bucky had grown in confidence, especially when they were with people he knew and trusted, and Tony was still jumping up to fill in blanks that weren’t actually there, wasn’t he?

“Shit, you’re right.” He caught Jan’s hand and squeezed lightly. “I didn’t even realize.”

She kissed his cheek. “I didn’t think so. Just try to pay more attention.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I definitely will.” And find some way to apologize.

* * *

Tony was uncharacteristically quiet as they walked back to his apartment from Thor’s cookout. Bucky’s gut roiled uneasily, trying to tell him that something bad was coming, that he should say or do something to ingratiate himself, to try to mitigate the damage. 

Bucky squelched the thought. That feeling was for Alex. Not for Tony. Still, it was hard to resist the urge to make himself small and silent and hope to go unnoticed. They were within sight of the apartment building before Bucky could make himself say, “You okay?”

Tony flashed him a small smile and squeezed his hand lightly, reassurance that Bucky hated needing. “Yeah, I think so,” Tony said. “But I owe you an apology.”

“What? What for?”

Tony sighed. “It was... brought to my attention that I haven’t been treating you very well.”

“What?” That came out louder than Bucky intended, and he glanced around hastily before lowering his voice. “That’s ridiculous, Tony. Who-- Oh my god, it was Steve, wasn’t it? I’m going to kill him, I _told_ him it wasn’t a big deal!”

“No, it was-- Steve thinks I’m fucking up, too?” Tony’s voice spiraled upward.

“No,” Bucky said firmly. “I told him I didn’t care about my birthday, he wasn’t supposed to say anything to you, because there’s nothing to say!”

“Your birthday?” Tony stopped walking and blinked at him. “That’s not until the end of the month. What’s he upset about?”

Bucky managed a little chuckle. “Nah, it was last week.”

“Wait, I thought your birthday was the thirtieth! When is it?” Tony was staring at him wide-eyed, almost frantic.

Bucky stepped closer, kissed Tony’s forehead to prove he wasn’t upset. “It’s the tenth, honey.”

“Oh, _shit_ , Bucky, I’m so sorry! Fuck, I--”

“Hey, sweetheart, it’s okay, really,” Bucky soothed. “You treat me so much better than Alex ever did. A missed birthday is nothing.”

“It really is _not_ ,” Tony said indignantly. “ _Better than Alex_ is such a low bar to get over that it doesn’t even count. It’s like... it’s like saying McDonalds is better for you than arsenic. It’s _technically_ true, but that doesn’t make McDonalds _good_!” He reached up, cupping Bucky’s face in his hands. “If you’d told me you didn’t _want_ to do anything for your birthday, that would be one thing, but for me to totally get the date wrong? _And_ \-- as was also pointed out to me earlier -- I keep interrupting you!”

Bucky blinked. “You do?”

“Yeah, I kinda do,” Tony said, looking sad. “You deserve so much better than that, baby. I’m going to do better, I promise. I’ll keep working until I get it right.”

“You don’t have to,” Bucky said. “You know I love you, right? Just the way you are.”

Tony pulled Bucky in for a kiss, chaste but lingering. “I know. I’m grateful for that, for you, every day. And that’s why I have to be better than McDonalds for you.”

Bucky couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips. “Okay.”

**Author's Note:**

> Title: Better Than McDonalds  
> by @27dragons  
> Card 4027  
> Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29113899  
> Square: S3 - Janet Van Dyne  
> Ship: Winteriron  
> Rating: T  
> Tags/Warnings: Alternate Universe - College/University, Past Abuse, friends helping friends, correcting dickish behavior  
> Summary: For this prompt from the Winteriron Winter Stockings event:
> 
> Bucky comes out from an abusive relationship. Tony is different, very different. But then, he also forgets dates, makes rash decisions and talks over Bucky. That's okay. Tony, when he finds out, doesn't think so and tries to change it. It's slow going. But he will do everything to get Bucky to smile that smile more often!  
> Wordcount: 1210


End file.
